Early measures would go a long way in preventing another outbreak

The World Health Organization on Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak, which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries, to be a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.

The Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the timeframe in which it can be transmitted, top US experts say.

The World Health Organization's emergency committee will debate whether a Zika virus outbreak suspected of causing a surge in serious birth defects in South America should be considered a global health emergency.